The Wages Of Sin Are Death, The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil, And The Sidewalk Beautification Project Is An Accident Waiting To Happen

Mrs. Hillbilly Mom is not a Bible-quoter. She knows the more mainstream references, and uses them at her whim. Like for today's title, just to illustrate the seriousness of the latest tomfoolery by city leaders in town near Hillmomba.

I was on my way home from gassing up T-Hoe, and mailing Genius's weekly letter. Driving through the area just past the School-Turn Casey's. The town got a federal grant a while back, and spent an entire year with detours on the main street, putting in fancy sidewalks and wrought-iron light poles. Like putting lipstick on a pig. The houses along the street are still pigs. To me, the fanciness of the wrought-iron light poles only accentuates the pigs. But the WORST part is the sidewalk.

I don't begrudge pedestrians a safe place to walk. I DO begrudge those wrought-iron light poles having their own fat peninsulas that stick out into the street. Not into the driving lane, but up to the edge. There might be space in between the peninsulas for two cars to park, maybe three. But an LLV driven by a mailman cannot just park and drive along the shoulder area to to stop and deliver packages, like they could in the glorious days pre-peninsula. Days when, if you heard a siren, there was room enough to pull over and let the emergency vehicle pass. Not so these days!

Of course I heard a siren, and saw a city police car coming up behind T-Hoe. I was nearing a peninsula. I could not get over, because a resident was parked in part of the open space. I got as close to the parked car as possible, with T-Hoe's front tires almost against the peninsula. The oncoming traffic also scrambled to find a way to clear the road. We were able to clear just enough space for the police car to get down the middle.

As traffic moved on, the car ahead of me was lagging. Only going 20 mph in a 30 mph zone. I wanted to round the curve, to see which direction that police car went. If it went up the lake road to Hillmomba, I would change my route. No need getting held up while an accident was cleared. But the police car was gone by the time I got around the curve. I decided not to risk it. I'd go on the the traffic lights by the Devil's Playground, and up the road that passes in front of the cemetery, and behind the high school.

WAIT A MINUTE!

On my right was an accident! No police car in sight! A white sedan had driven off the right side of the road, and was sitting nose-down in a ditch. The trunk of the car was almost pointed to the heavens. The undercarriage was stuck on a pipe that ran under a driveway to a financial advisor business. One car was pulled over there, with a man standing as if to help. His car was not damaged.

This made me wonder... was that police car on the way to this accident, and overshot his mark? Or did that police car CAUSE this accident? With the driver trying to get over and out of the way, and not judging that culvert pipe in her haste?

The beautification peninsulas had stopped at the curve, so they were not to blame. BUT THEY COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT! Like somebody hitting a wrought-iron light pole while in a hurry to make room for an emergency vehicle.